Chapter Books for Girls Who Hate to Read

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All four of my children love to read, but it wasn’t always that way. One of my girls in particular was a very reluctant reader. It seems that once we passed the hurdle of reading picture books to chapter books, she truly developed a love for books. However, it was a tough hurdle to get over! I think the key was finding books she enjoyed. It also doesn’t hurt that all the other kids love reading and so over time we’ve developed a culture of reading in our home-I even wrote a post about that a few weeks ago.

Since then, I’ve had a few people ask me for book recommendations, so I decided to make up a list of books we love in our home.

I’m actually working on another list of books for boys who hate to read. Honestly, my girls read from both lists, it’s just that the list was getting a little long to put in one post, so I decided to break it up into two! I’ll have that one out next week!

Graphic Novels

I’ve talked before about how much I love graphic novels for kids who hate reading! I think what happens a lot of times is that the kiddos get intimated by the thought of moving from easier, shorter picture books to a chapter books. When they try them out, if they aren’t strong readers, they get frustrated and give up before they get into the story. Graphic novels are just less intimidating. Kids will open them up and if they aren’t strong readers, they’ll just look at the pictures and pick up a few words here and there. The pictures hook them, they forget to be intimidated, and they just start reading. Plus, they still have the crutch of the pictures to help them if they can’t read well enough to understand what’s happening in the text. I’m telling you, graphic novels had a huge impact on my kids developing a love for reading. Here are some of our favorites:

Hamster Princess

This graphic novel features a tough, hamster princess who turns fairy tales on their heads. There is a whole series of Hamster Princess books and we love the drawings and the story lines with this strong female character.

Baby Mouse

The Baby Mouse series is about a spunky mouse navigating the the world of school and friends, and getting into scrapes usually at the hands of her frenemy: Felicia Furrypaws. The drawings are adorable and the stories move fast.

Gum Girl Series

Gum Girl is aptly named because she loves gum! But one day she blows a huge bubble and when it pops, she’s completely covered in gum. What seems like a mess turns into a win since the gum gives her super powers. There’s a whole series of this gum-chewing crime-fighting girl!

Lunch Lady

Novels

After picture books, most of my kids transitioned to graphic novels. When they had build up the confidence, they began to read chapter books! Here are a few series that my girls read over and over again!

Ivy and Bean

Ivy and Bean are best friends who couldn’t be more different. The stories are quick and cute and the message of friendship is strong.

Whatever After

Abby and her little brother Noah discover a magic mirror in their basement and through it they travel to all sorts of different fairy tales. Unfortunately their presence in the story messes up the story line. But don’t worry, they make it all work out even better than the original and get home before their parents even know they are gone.

Click here to buy the first one or click here to grab the first 6 books in the series.

Nancy Clancy

I hope this list helps you find books your girls truly enjoy and ones they’ll want to read over and over again. I’m also always looking for book suggestions for my kids. What are your favorites? Please list them in the comments!